Happy Energy Blog

Happy Energy Offers Warning to Cornish Households

Are you one of the many thousands of Cornish households that are being target by heating installers from ‘Out of the County’ offering the promise of free boilers and heating upgrades?

If you are, look before you leap as increasing numbers of Cornish residents have contacted us asking for help after being targeted by companies from as far away as Scotland offering free boilers only to come in and carry out substandard work.

In one incident a retired St Austell couple were left over £500 out of pocket and with broken radiators, a faulty shower and leaking taps after a botched job by a company from the North East that initially offered them a free oil boiler upgrade.

We are now taking up the fight with energy watchdog Ofgem on their behalf but want to raise it as this is not an isolated incident.

So why are so many Cornish households being targeted? Quite simply, there are high numbers of grant eligible homes in non-mains gas areas in Cornwall that are attracting rogue traders to Cornwall wanting to take advantage of the Government’s Help to Heat funding.

“The grants available through the Help to Heat Programme are a fantastic opportunity for Cornish households – particularly those on income related benefits who qualify – to upgrade their boilers and heating systems, very often free of charge,” says Happy Energy’s John Moores.

“However, households across Cornwall are literally being bombarded by companies – many from the North West and North East – that are offering free boilers. It seems they are coming in and doing very substandard work. In some cases, they are leaving the works unfinished before hot footing it off, never to be seen again,” said John.

“Our advice is to thoroughly check out any company – who they are, where they are from and if they are qualified to do what they say they will before allowing them into your home. If they don’t answer your questions clearly, won’t tell you where they are from or leave you in any doubt, you may want to think twice,” he added.

At the end of last year, a disabled couple from Roche near St Austell were left without heating and hot water for 2 weeks following a botched install by a Manchester company offering them a boiler.

To find out more about what energy grants are available to people in Cornwall on Income Related Benefits, visit here or call the team on 0800 0246 234.